Mexico's 1917 constitution curtails Catholic Church ownership of property. Today, the State owns essentially all ecclesiastical lands and buildings. A consequence of Mexico's long struggle between Church and State is that the city of San Miguel de Allende today bears responsibility for maintenance of its 29 Catholic churches. Many have picturesque exteriors and some are important historically, such as the San Francisco Church, originally founded by Father Juan de San Miguel in 1542.

I particularly like the simplicity, the Mexicanness of the bell tower.

In many places historical buildings are preserved in a state of arrested decay. Here, erosion of plaster enhances our appreciation of the San Francisco Church's age and gives us a glimpse of how it was constructed: walls built of uncut stone—rubble, really— suspended between pink cantera columns. Broken cornices add to the sense of antiquity.

But for me, the features that most evoke the feeling of Old Mexico are cacti and grasses growing atop the walls.

For the last few years, San Miguel has been renovating its historic buildings. New colors and gilding make spectacular the dome of the Templo de las Monjas. Renewed stonework and salmon-colored plaster vastly improve the appearance of our signature building, the Parroquoia de San Miguel Arcangel.

But while much can be gained in doing renovations, sometimes something is lost. Today, the bell tower of the San Francisco Church looks like this:

It's clearly a building in good repair—no mistaking that. But gone is the exposed stonework; gone are the cacti; gone is the sense of great age. Even the patina on the brass bell has been removed.

You'd never guess this building is more than 450 years old.

By and large, I appreciate the renovations that have spruced up our town. But the San Francisco bell tower no longer draws my gaze. For me, its soul has been plastered and painted over. Today it looks like something atop a Santa Barbara condo complex.